Not Worthy
by Haya-dono
Summary: A Pokemon Conquest fanfic After Illusio's defeat, Shingen decides to join the Warlord from Aurora. However, a confused and disappointed Yukimura is unsure of the path he wants to follow. Following Shingen's orders, he sets out to find it until he accidentally meets someone he wasn't planning to.


_**Title:**__ Not worthy (One-Shot)_

_**Fandom:**__ Pokemon Conquest_

_**Characters:**__ Yukimura, Heroine, Motonari, Motochika_, _Shingen_

_**Summary:**__ After Illusio's defeat, Shingen decides to join the Warlord from Aurora. However, a confused and disappointed Yukimura is unsure of the path he wants to follow. Following Shingen's orders, he sets out to find it until he accidentally meets someone he wasn't planning to. [Not Beta-Read]  
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It was a bright sunny day in the kingdom of Terrera. The sun's rays were bathing the deserted fields where sand spread as far as the eye could see. Some Drilburs were resting under the scarce palm trees spread throughout the field, trying to protect themselves from the sun. Under one of those trees, a tall figure could be seen from the distance.

With a Tepig sitting next to him, the brown-haired red-cladded warrior Yukimura Sanada looked at the resting Pokemon unaware of the times the region of Ransei was going through. Four months had passed since the Kingdom of Illusio fell to the new and uprising Warlord from the South. With Illusio's defeat, Yukimura's lord, Shingen Takeda of the Kingdom of Terrera decided to join the new Warlord as well. Yukimura sighed heavily as he looked at the place he once considered his home, the last conversation he had with his lord still burning in his head.

He and his trusty Tepig had been summoned to Shingen's main chamber. As soon as his lord entered the room, he kneeled down and bowed his head, showing his utmost respect for the man he considered the strongest Warlord, and the one he had sworn loyalty to.

"Kenshin's castle has been conquered," Shingen spoke.

"Lord Kenshin has been defeated!?" Yukimura couldn't help to suppress his surprise at his lord's words. "But how? It is known that the only one who matched Lord Kenshin's power was you, my Lord."

Shingen laughed heartily to Yukimura's response. "That is the most surprising part. A young girl, the Warlord from the Kingdom of Aurora, managed to beat Kenshin. Not only had she defended her castle from Aya's attack, but she defeated Kenshin in his own castle. It was an impressive battle, I witnessed it."

"I-I see. My lord, if I may be bold enough to ask, what will your next orders be? Should we increase the training hours, to be prepared to ward off any upcoming attacks from Aurora? Lord Kenshin's presence in the Kingdom of Aurora might throw our army's balance off."

Shingen looked at Yukimura and laughed louder. "Yukimura, after witnessing that battle I came to the conclusion that Terrera should join that kid's Kingdom. She's an amusing one," Shingen said casually.

Terrera surrendering to Aurora without a fight? Yukimura looked dumbfounded at his lord, completely astonished. "M-my lord?"

Smiling broadly, Shingen patted Yukimura's tense shoulder. "You should have seen it. It was brilliant; she managed to get a good idea of the portals of Illusio and used them to her advantage. Kenshin gave it all and lost. He seemed quite pleased with the result, though." Shingen let out a hearty laugh.

Yukimura could only watch at his Lord, unable to find the words to express his feelings towards Shingen's statements. In this war, he hoped to fight his enemies face to face with their kingdoms at stake. If the enemy's army was stronger, then they had earned the right to obtain Terrera's castle. This time, his Lord had just given his kingdom to a new Warlord kid he didn't know and Yukimura hadn't been able to do a thing. He couldn't feel the same way about giving up his Kingdom without a fight, without knowing the enemy. His distressed and upset face contrasted with Shingen's cheerful demeanor.

Shingen smiled, understanding Yukimura's dilemma and confusion. Yukimura was still young to understand his reasons. Patting Yukimura's shoulder, Shingen said quietly, "You do not have to follow me and join the Warlord of Aurora. Perhaps it'll be better for you to search for a new Lord to serve or to see how Ransei's situation has become. Go on, Yukimura. Visit other kingdoms and decide what you want to do next."

Yukimura had taken Shingen's words to heart. He and Tepig visited the Kingdom of Avia, Viperia, and Yaksha, all of them under control of Nobunaga Oda. Despite his curiosity towards the new warlord of Terrera, Yukimura avoided any of the Kingdoms under her control. He didn't feel ready to accept or acknowledge her strength.

As far as he knew, this warrior could have been cheating to be able to defeat her opponents. Going for Kenshin's Castle was the best strategy. While Kenshin and his Gallade were formidable enemies, the rest of Kenshin's army wasn't comparable and, according to Yukimura, they were easier to defeat than the warriors of Terrera. It was only natural that Aurora's Warlord would recruit Kenshin, and then go after Terrera. The fact that the first kingdom to be invaded was Illusio made Yukimura think that Aurora's warlord wasn't strong enough to fight Terrera on her own.

Yukimura sighted angrily, kicking the sand under his feet. Every time he thought about Terrera and the new Warlord, he felt guilty and powerless. He couldn't accept so easily that they lost their Kingdom against an invisible enemy. He felt cheated. He wasn't able to do anything, anything to protect Terrera. Clutching his fists in anger, Yukimura tried to breathe deeply to calm himself down, but couldn't. His Tepig, who had been beside him through these hard times, snuggled in Yukimura's leg as if he wanted to do something to cheer up his partner. Yukimura felt Tepig and noticed he had worried it. He kneeled down and pat softly Tepig's head.

"I'm sorry, Tepig. I didn't mean to worry you," Yukimura said. "But I… I can't still accept what has happened." Yukimura lay on the ground and looked at the blue sky above him. Tepig lay close to Yukimura's hand, still snuggling his master. "I wonder if the city is still the same."

A small breeze blew, a nice break from Terrera's immense heat, and Yukimura decided to take a nap. Or at least, he would try to relax a little, even if he could hardly do so. Everyone in Terrera, especially Shingen and Kunoichi, would chide him for being so serious all the time. These four months were no exception. All this time, he and Tepig had been training nonstop. It was the only way he could manage and bury the uncertainty and anger that consumed him ever since. Surprisingly, the breeze seemed to doze him and he let himself drift off to the world of dreams.

That was until he had a strange sensation, as if he and Tepig were not alone anymore. Yukimura opened his eyes and met a pair of blue eyes staring curiously at him. A young girl, no older than him was sitting next to him and seemed quite entertained watching him sleep. He noticed she was wearing some fancy pinkish armor, something no normal warrior would use. Was she a Warlord?

The next thing Yukimura noticed was that Tepig was standing protectively next to him, fiercely staring at an Eevee. An Eevee? Weren't they incredibly rare in Ransei? Yukimura suddenly remembered, didn't the Warlord of Aurora have an Eevee?

The girl smiled brightly at him, not even sensing Tepig's hostility towards them. "Oh, you're awake. Did I wake you up?" Her eyes widened as she noticed Yukimura's drowsy face. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I thought it'd be too rude of me. You seemed to be sleeping peacefully."

Getting up from the sand and dusting his clothes off, the red warrior asked, "And who might you be?" The girl got up as well.

"So, are you by chance Yukimura Sanada, Lord Shingen's strongest warrior?" she blurted out, almost without thinking. After some seconds of silence, she realized she hadn't actually answered his question, and blushed slightly. "Oh sorry – she nervously scratched the back of her head - I got carried away. My name is Rinne Hanamura and this is my friend, Eevee. Ahaha, I'm so bad at this introduction thing… I am, uh, the Warlord of Aurora? Hm, should I really say that? I don't know. It sounds concerned… Wait, that wasn't it. I think it's conceited. Concerned, conceited… Hm." The girl spaced out some seconds, pondering quickly before going back on topic. "But that's not important, what I want to ask you is… Are you THE Yukimura Sanada? You know, like the warrior who is dressed in this red armor and he's super powerful and stuff? Shingen said something like that." She pointed at Yukimura's armor.

Not replying right away, Yukimura observed Rinne closely. The cheerful and apparently chatty brunette seemed too young to be a Senior Warlord. At most she'd be 17 or 18 years old, not that he was much older than her. Despite her armor and Warlord appearance, she didn't seem to have much battle experience nor the aura of a veteran like the one Shingen, Kenshin and other Senior Warlords possessed. She resembled more a carefree teenager wearing armor than a warrior who had nine kingdoms under her control. A carefree teenager who happened to invade people's personal space, make random comments and not show proper respect for her elders, it seemed. Did Shingen really left Terrera under her care?

Yukimura took a deep breath, trying to control the wave of mixed emotions that had appeared the moment the girl introduced herself. Why did he have to come across her, in Terrera, of all places? "My name is Yukimura Sanada. I served under Lord Shingen Takeda of Terrera before he…" Yukimura paused. He found it painful to finish that sentence. "I, er, have been travelling and visiting different kingdoms under Lord Shingen's orders. What is-"

"What is it it that you request of me?" was what Yukimura attempted to say before being interrupted by the cries of joy coming from the young girl and her Eevee. "Finally! Eevee! We finally meet him!" She turned at her little companion who was hopping in joy. Yukimura stared silently at the excited partners. They were 'happy' to see him, alright. He certainly didn't feel the same way about meeting her, though. Sensing his master's wariness, Tepig came closer to him, fully prepared for a battle, if it came to that.

"We've been looking for you for… what was it..? – she counted with her fingers- four months. Yes, four months! You have no idea what we went… Is that a Tepig!?" Rinne pointed at Tepig, who immediately took a defensive stance. The girl kneeled down smiling at it, not noticing its mistrust. "It's so adorable! Right, Eevee? Aww, you are so cute." She tried to pet it, but Tepig let a little flame out of its snout.

Yukimura understood. "What is it that you wish from us, Lady Rinne?" he asked politely. However, one could detect a hint of seriousness and coldness in his voice.

Rinne didn't seem to mind his tone, but she backed off immediately. "Sorry, I startled you, Tepig," she said timidly, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "I, uh, - she took a deep breath and looked nervously at Yukimura, trying to not avoid his eyes- Ah, this is harder that I thought it'd be. Ok, so we've been… looking for you because… because… I, um, I w-want you." The girl then nervously laughed, as she played with her hands, waiting for his reply with a shy smile, just like a girl who had confessed to the boy she liked.

Silence, awkward silence.

"Ok, let me try again," she said. She took a deep breath and spoke, "I. Want. You."

Yukimura blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"

The female Warlord stopped smiling, tilted her head to one side and stared at him, arching one eyebrow quizzically. "Huh? What do you mean by excuse me?" She folded her arms and pouted. "I think I said it quite clear, _I want you_. Is there something about it?" she said, emphasizing the last words.

It couldn't be.

Silence.

No, just no.

Yukimura opened to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. She surely didn't mean that way, did she? She couldn't have spent four months just to talk to a random stranger and make that kind of indecorous proposal, right? Unfortunately for him, Rinne looked pretty serious about it, though. What could he say in that situation? He was a warrior, that kind of talks were inconceivable to him. He avoided her eyes, feeling his cheeks redden as he looked for any kind of response.

Rinne stared at him, still pouting until she noticed Yukimura blushing. "Um, did I say something weird?" she asked sheepishly. "I tell you _I want you_ and then you blush and…-she frowned, thoughtful- Oh. I, uh, OH! I-I didn't mean it like that! I swear! I-" she practically shouted, shaking her head fiercely, as her face was turning deep crimson. Seeing Yukimura's obviously bothered face, she covered hers with her hands, absolutely mortified at everything. "I swear I didn't mean it like that! I-It's a mistake! I mean, you aren't bad-looking at all… You're actually pretty handsome, but like… Wait, no! Forget I said anything! Ahhh! I'm gonna throw myself off Terrera's tower! Ahhhhhh!"

It was then that her real intention suddenly hit him. Yukimura couldn't help but arch his eyebrowns at the girl, at the entire situation and the ridiculous direction it was taking. She wasn't making it any less awkward with her attempts to 'fix it'. "Lady Rinne, it's alright. I think I know what you actually mean." Trying to put a comforting smile, he moved away her hands covering her face and looked at her in the eye. "You wish for me and Tepig to join your army, right?"

Rinne looked at him for exactly one second, before turning her face, hoping he wouldn't see it. She surely was as red as his armor, she thought in despair. Why? "Lady Rinne?" Yukimura asked her again. Was she really a Warlord? She could definitively compete for the title of 'most eccentric Warlord' against Yoshimoto of Chrysalia, that was for sure. On second thought, not even Yoshimoto was this bad at communicating with others.

It took Rinne a couple of minutes with incredibly awkward silence to finally calm down. She was still blushing, but at least she could stop herself from hiding her face in shame. That was some progress. Yukimura sighed; this was going to take a while.

"So, you want us to join your army, right?"

Whimpering, the girl's voice could barely be heard. "I, uh, yeah, that's right… I swear I didn't mean it in another way."

Poor thing. "Lady Rinne, it's alright. Why don't we forget about this … incident?"

Silence.

Yukimura felt this situation was taking its toll on him. It was taking him enough self-control to not facepalm at it. Maybe he should take the initiative? "Lady Rinne, if you wish for us to join you, you must know that I'll only accept or reject your proposal after I've battled with you. Your strength is something I need to see for myself, and only a battle will do."

After giving her some minutes to help her calm down, Rinne and Eevee agreed to battle. Yukimura and Tepig exchanged looks, fully prepared for battle. He couldn't help but remember their last four months. Maybe they had been training for this battle? His opponents didn't seem to be what he had imagined; in fact, they were the opposite. Even if they seemed to be a ditzy girl with apparent communication problems and an equally goofy-looking Eevee, they couldn't let their guard down. He wanted to test the strength of the Warlord of Aurora, of his enemy.

All of them walked to a massive sand field, where no trees could get in their way and when they were at the sun's mercy. It was now shining so brightly it made the sand burn. Tepig and Yukimura were used to this weather and the demonic heat that could drain anyone of their strength, but they weren't so sure about Rinne and Eevee. They had guts to even request that sort of battlefield.

Rinne, who seemed to have finally gotten over their peculiar conversation, looked at Eevee, pumping her fists. "Eevee, we've waited for this moment for a long time! It's time for us to get real serious!" Eevee cried excitedly. "Let's do this, Quick Attack!"

Eevee charged at full speed against Tepig. Just before contact, Tepig jumped backwards barely evading Eevee. "Good job, Tepig. Counter with Tackle!" Yukimura commanded.

Tepig slammed against the wide-open Eevee, and impacted on the latter's left side. The tackle connected with such force that Eevee was sent flying some meters in front of Tepig. However, the little brown Pokemon refused to be beaten so quickly, standing immediately and glaring at Tepig.

Rinne smiled broadly, completely excited at their strength. "Yay! You were just like Shingen said. You two are super-powerful! But we are pretty strong too. I really want you… er, in my army! – she shook her head- Anyway, Eevee, use the sand!"

Eevee charged again at Tepig. Tepig waited for the attack, to evade and counterattack as before, never taking its eyes off Eevee. However, just as Tepig moved out of the way, Eevee spun around and with its tail hurled sand into Tepig's face. Blinded with sand in its eyes, Tepig tried to clean them with his legs while trying to keep track of Eevee, which had started running in circles, in an attempt to confuse Tepig.

"Eevee, you know what to do. Bite!" Rinne shouted.

"Tepig, don't move and wait for it!"

Immediately after hearing Yukimura's orders, Tepig stood still, concentrating on detecting the incoming attack. Eevee suddenly dashed forward, towards Tepig. "Ember, now!" Just as Tepig sensed Eevee's change in direction, it launched a small fire ball towards Eevee. The fire ball hit some of Eevee's fur, as the brown Pokemon had managed to barely avoid it. However, it did not stop and Tepig felt itself be hit several times by something. While evading, Eevee had thrown more sand at Tepig from different directions, until it reached Tepig's right side. With its little fangs, Eevee bit forcefully Tepig, causing it to flinch.

Yukimura admitted to himself, he was impressed by the way she used the sand to her advantage. For a second there, he was worried she was the type to charge blindly at the enemy. He chided himself mentally for having underestimated the pair.

"Eevee, well done! Once more!"

Eevee launched towards the still blinded Tepig. However, Yukimura wouldn't be tricked by the same strategy twice. "Use Smog!" Tepig let out a poisonous purple cloud before itself and jumped backwards. Due to the momentum, Eevee couldn't avoid the toxic gases and went through them, poisoning itself in the process.

"Eevee!" Rinne let out a surprised cry as she noticed Eevee falling to its knees due to the poison. Meanwhile, Tepig had managed to take out the sand in its eyes and recovered its vision. Yukimura took this chance to gain the upper-hand. "Flame Charge!" he ordered.

Tepig covered itself in flames, and without letting Eevee react, impacted against it with such force that Eevee flew some meters before crashing into the ground. Eevee couldn't stand up; it seemed to have been heavily damaged.

It was now the time to end the battle and avoid Eevee more suffering, Yukimura thought. "Tepig, let's finish this! Flame Charge!"

"No, we're not done! Eevee, I'm counting on you! Charge forward, Quick Attack!" At the sound of Rinne's voice, Eevee struggled to pull itself up, ignoring the pain from its injuries and the poison and sun that were debilitating it. It was then that Yukimura noticed it; a tremendous, forceful aura which emanated from Rinne and Eevee. For a second there, he felt the same as when he saw his Lord Shingen fight; a commanding unyielding spirit shared by a human and a Pokemon was giving all they had, refusing to be defeated. It was the spirit of a true Warlord.

Eevee and Tepig clashed; the impact sent out waves of sand across the battlefield. None of the Pokemon were going back as they struggled to push the foe back. It was a battle of willpower. "Eevee, go on!" Rinne shouted. Eevee, fueled by its partner's encouragement, pressed on forward. They would not be defeated, not now.

Tepig was thrown off and in a split second, gave slightly in, receiving Eevee's Quick Attack, which threw it towards Yukimura. The hit had caused so much damage that Tepig's Blaze skill activated. On the other hand, Eevee seemed to have received part of the impact, looking exhausted. The poison was debilitating it; it wouldn't last long. Both warriors knew that they had only one attack left and there was no clear victor yet.

Yukimura looked at Eevee and then at the girl in front of him. He said, "Lady Rinne, before our final attack, I want to ask you this: What are you fighting for?"

"My reason to fight?" Rinne answered, as she smiled warmly. "My reason is pretty simple, actually. Eevee and I, we both battle for peace, to end this stupid war once and for all! To make Ransei a place where humans and Pokemon can coexist and understand each other. We fight for our friends, for the people that live in Ransei, so that they can have happy lives without conflict!" She stood proudly. "I know that we are new to war; people say we're too idealistic, that we're going to fail. But I refuse to give up. No matter what the obstacle, we're going to go forward, we're going to end this war. That's why I need the strength of warriors like you, so that we can achieve peace together!"

Hearing her words, Yukimura smiled. So that was her reason; a naïve and idealistic, yet selfless and determined reason. "I see. I was wrong about you. I can see it now. I sense true greatness in you, Lady Rinne. It's been an honor to battle you. Tepig, Flame Charge!"

She smiled back. "I can say the same about you! Eevee, Quick Attack!"

Both Pokemon collided with all the strength they had. Eevee and Tepig struggled to best the other, to prove their resolution. However, Tepig was too tired and beaten to overcome Eevee's determination. Eevee pushed back Tepig, and finished the fight with its Quick Attack. Tepig fell down; Yukimura knew that they had lost the fight.

Rinne ran as fast as she could to meet her exhausted, but delighted, partner. She carried, brought it to her face and hugged it. "Eevee, you did awesome! You are super-strong!" Eevee cried happily as its owner snuggled it lovingly. Yukimura knelt down and patted Tepig's head softly. "You did your best, Tepig. You can feel proud of the result of this battle. Thank you."

Rinne gave Yukimura and Tepig some minutes alone, before approaching them. "Here, you can use it to help Tepig's wounds," she said smiling as she crouched and handed Yukimura a Super Potion. "You two were awesome! So strong! I thought for a moment that we were going to lose." Eevee had already been healed from its poisoning and its injuries and her owner was carrying it over her head. It cried happily as her partner was praising Yukimura and Tepig.

Yukimura accepted the Super Potion and sprayed it on Tepig. The little Pokemon whimpered at first, but then swung its tail, now fully recovered from its fatigue and wounds. He stood up and looked at her, who was getting up as well. "Lady Rinne, if I can be of service to you, then I graciously accept," he said. Then, he found himself being suddenly hugged by the younger warrior. "Thank you, Yukimura!" she exclaimed, waiting some seconds before letting go of him. "You don't mind if I don't use the 'Lord' thing, right? It sounds so awkward. Oh, and you don't have to call me "Lady", it makes me feel weird and old."

"So here you are, Princess," a polite masculine voice said.

Rinne and Yukimura turned around to see a pair of men walking towards them. The one who had talked to them, a green-haired man, waved at Rinne. Behind him walked a Servine, which seemed to be protecting itself from the sun with the gentleman's shadow. The other man, who could easily be mistaken as a rock star or an eccentric person, black and white-haired was accompanied by a happy-looking Dewott.

"Motonari, Motochika!" Rinne waved at them. "What are you doing here?"

Motochika smirked at the young Warlord. "We could ask the same to you. Interesting place to hang out, under the burning sun," he said.

"Lady Ginchiyo asked us to look for you. You've been wandering on your own for four months now, Lady Rinne," Motonari replied politely. "You should tell us if you are going to be away for a long time. The others are worried about you."

"Ginchiyo did? I-is that so?" Rinne asked. Yukimura noticed that for a second there, Rinne seemed wary of Motonari. He wasn't really sure if he was imagining things, though. "How did you guys find me?"

"Well, I had a hunch of where you could be." Motonari fixed his gaze on Yukimura before turning to look at the young girl. "After we got here, the locals said they had seen you going to the desert."

"Your voice could be heard all over the desert, it was a matter of time somebody bumped into you," Motochika added nonchalantly. "I didn't think you were the kind to enjoy this harsh weather. Where were you all these months, having fun in the desert?"

Rinne puffed her cheeks, trying to hide her slightly pink cheeks, and hastily said, "I-we weren't all the time here, you know? We were in other kingdoms too. Anyway…" She cleared her throat and pointed at Yukimura. "This is Yukimura Sanada, you know, Shingen's general. He's agreed to join us. Yukimura, these guys are Motonari Mori from Greenleaf, his Servine, and Motochika Chosokabe and Dewott from Fontaine." She pointed at each man and Pokemon respectively, as she introduced everyone.

"So she had the warlords of Fontaine and Greenleaf too," Yukimura thought.

"But they insist on calling me Princess and I don't like it, so don't call me like that, please?" Rinne added, sending mean looks to both men. They didn't seem to be affected by it, though.

"So Yukimura is joining us too. Well, excellent! Our forces are growing stronger every day. However… Princess, we should go back to Terrera soon. Everyone is waiting for your return." Motonari said, smiling politely at her, unlike her, who frowned the moment she was called "Princess".

"I guess it's been a while. I didn't think it'd take that long," she said while scratching her cheek, laughing nervously. She proceeded then to get in front of the three men, and pointed to her right, to the vast field that lay across. "Alright! Let's go back, then," she said as she went hastily in the direction she had pointed at.

Yukimura was going to follow her, but noticed that neither Motonari nor Motochika had moved, even if Rinne was already several meters ahead. "Lord Motonari, Lord Motochika… Are you not going to follow Lady Rinne?"

Motonari seemed troubled. He held his chin with his hand, thoughtfully, as he looked at the girl. "This might prove troublesome. Shouldn't we…"

Motochika put his hands on his waist and looked at Motonari. "What happens, happens. Let's see where this will take us. I look forward to it."

"Lord Motochika, what do you mean by that?" Yukimura asked, feeling uneasy due to their reactions.

Motochika laughed and shrugged casually. "You'll see soon. If something seems off, just wait and see." That said, the three men and their Pokemon hurried up to catch up Rinne and Eevee, who were waiting for them under a palm tree about 20 meters away from them.

* * *

"You know, Yukimura…" Rinne turned around, Eevee on her head and her hands behind her back, and looked at the men who were following her. "I wonder, how old are you anyway? You seem to be younger than Motonari or Motochika. Are you 20-years old?"

The group had been walking for a couple of hours now and found themselves in a rocky place, where, fortunately for them, the sun wasn't as merciless as before. There were several rock Pokemon, who looked at them curiously, though. Tepig, Servine and Dewott walked closely to their respective masters, while glancing intrigued at the rocks and Pokemon they could see.

"That is correct, Lady Rinne."

"Nice, I got it on my first try! Hm, what kinds of food do you like? When is your birthday? Do you have a girlfriend? Or are you like Ginchiyo and Muneshige? They should marry already, everyone can see that they have something- Kyaa!" Rinne stepped on a large rock behind her and tripped backwards, falling on her back while Eevee lost grip and fell off, hitting its head with a nearby rock. "Ow, who put a rock there? Like… ow, pain." She rubbed her injured back, and then looked to see if Eevee was okay. The little Pokemon seemed to be okay, if one ignored the big red mark across its head, showing where it had hit the rock.

"Princess, you should watch the road," Motonari warned her, with a polite smile. He didn't move to help her, though. Instead, he turned to Yukimura and added, "The Princess likes to get to know the Warlords that join her. I believe she should make a questionnaire and have you answer it. It might probably be too long, I'm afraid."

Motochika smirked as he saw Rinne still lying on the ground, still rubbing and complaining about her fall. "Graceful as always. Excellent."

Rinne mocked him bitterly. "Haha, you are so funny. I'm dying," she said, sarcasm dripping from every single word. "You could just help me up, please. Or Dewott? Or anyone? Hm. Thanks for ignoring me… Huh?" She seemed surprised to see Yukimura walking towards her and offering his hand. She blushed slightly, but managed to give him a polite, if slightly awkward smile, as she took his hand and got up with his help. At the same time, Yukimura's Tepig went to Eevee, to see if it was okay. Eevee seemed to be thankful for Tepig's concern, as it nodded to the fire Pokemon. "Thank you, Yukimura!" Rinne said, before turning to Motochika. "You could learn something from him, he's a true gentleman."

Motochika shrugged nonchalantly as the group resumed walking. "He'll get used to you."

"What is that supposed to mean!?" she hollered, and turned, not paying attention to yet another rock in her way. She didn't watch her step, and she almost fell, if she hadn't managed to grab Motonari's clothes and stop herself from falling again.

"I wonder," Motochika said, shaking his head, visibly amused at her antics.

"Princess, please pay attention when you are walking. The terrain here is uneven and _rocky_," Motonari said, while adjusting his clothes.

Ever since they started walking, Yukimura had kept to himself, walking behind the group as he watched them interact. They seemed to be pretty familiar with each other, especially with the kind of comments Rinne got from them. He had been wondering if he could be as straightforward as them and ask her something that was really important to him. He had already seen she was a strong Warlord, but there was something else he wanted to know, even if he felt unsure about asking.

As a warrior, he usually didn't ask many things to Shingen, preferring to stay silent and follow his Lord's orders. He would never think of questioning him. However, these Warlords seemed perfectly fine to snark and tease the young girl. Even if she complained about it, she seemed to be enjoying herself too. Maybe he could try to do the same.

After some serious thought, he finally decided to go for it. He wasn't completely okay with it, but he then remembered how she was casually prying on his life. He tried to ease his conscience by reasoning that it was okay to ask her something after she had done the same to him moments ago. "Lady Rinne, would you mind if I ask you something?"

Rinne turned to look at Yukimura and nodded. "Sure, shoot."

"Why did you decide to challenge Illusio, and not Terrera?" he asked calmly, but with a serious and, unintentionally, slightly forceful tone.

Just as she heard his question, Rinne tensed up, and opened awkwardly her mouth, muttering something no one could really understand. She was visibly shaken up by it, everyone could tell. Before she could say anything else, though, Motonari interrupted her, "Before that, Princess, where is the north?"

Yukimura turned to Motonari, who kept looking at the girl. Motonari seemed aware of Yukimura's stare, but didn't turn nor say anything. Why would he stop her from answering Yukimura's question?

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Rinne looked at Motonari, confused and slightly scared by the sudden switch of conversation.

"Have you noticed that we're not in the desert anymore?" Motonari replied calmly, as Servine pointed at the landscape behind Rinne.

"Are you high or something?" she replied bluntly. "This is obviously –she turned around and pointed at a nearby mountain and a forest covering the path of rocks lying ahead- NOT A DESERT." Gawking and eyes wide open, she immediately looked at Motonari, absolutely flabbergasted. "We're not in the desert."

"It seems so. We appear to be in a rocky valley, near Cragspur," Motonari said with a soft smile.

"What!?" she yelled, startling Eevee, which was in as much shock as her. When had they arrived near Cragspur!?

"Ha! So it begins." Motochika sneered, amused at the event that was unfolding. Yukimura, on the other hand, seemed to be distressed. He had noticed since the start that they were not heading towards Terrera. They had been going to the east, to where Nobunaga's army was. It troubled him more, though, that the others were fully aware of it, yet they didn't say anything. Were they expecting this?

"We are lost," said Motonari.

Rinne pouted, and folded her arms defensively. "We're not lost. We, er… we merely took a detour, that's all," she said, attempting to sound convincing to save face. Yukimura felt slightly sorry for her. Anyone could tell she was sweating bullets.

"We're taking a detour of several kilometers off to the east, when Terrera's castle was one or two up North. You must really love nature," said Motochika.

"Lady Rinne, ever since we started walking back to the castle, we have been going in the wrong direction. Is something the matter?" Yukimura asked politely. She cringed, grimacing in despair.

Motonari chuckled. "Did you figure it out already? The answer to your question." He looked at Yukimura and then he turned to Rinne. "Princess, give up. Everyone in the kingdom already knows that you are prone to getting lost easily."

"Ugh…" She flinched. "I, I prefer the term 'directionally-challenged'," she mumbled.

Motochika smirked and shrugged. "Eloquence at its best, Lady Rinne. Your ability to twist and mix words and pick the worst-sounding ones is… splendid."

She blushed and turned her head hastily, puffing her cheeks. "Hahaha, how nice of you Motochika… WAIT A SECOND." She looked at Motonari, perplexed. "What do you mean by 'everyone knows'?"

"Well, the incident at Illusio is already common knowledge between most of the Generals. Lord Kenshin, Lady Aya, and Lord Kanetsugu are still in the dark, though," Motonari casually stated.

She grew pale. "How could it be? Only Muneshige and I were supposed to-" she muttered, but immediately she stopped mid-sentence and covered her mouth. "I didn't say anything, nothing at all, absolutely at all."

"Princess, anyone with common sense or with proper sense of direction would know that to get to Terrera from Pugilis you have to go east, not northeast."

"You… you noticed it…?" she whimpered. "Why didn't you tell me about it!?"

Motonari smiled as he scratched the back of his head. "The Pokemon in Illusio were certainly rare ones! You can't find them anywhere else. I was too busy gathering notes on their behavior. My research on Pokemon is going well, thanks to it."

She blinked, unimpressed but definitively not pleased. Then she turned to Motochika, and grimacing, she said, "I'm afraid to ask, but what's your excuse, Motochika?"

"I wanted to see how you'd deal with it." Motochika shrugged nonchalantly. His Dewott mimicked his pose, which made her face contort even more. "Even your Dewott is mocking me…" she muttered bitterly.

"There seem to be several rock Pokemon here. Servine, we should gather more data for our research. Meanwhile, Lady Rinne can use this time to properly talk to Lord Yukimura."

Before she could say anything, Servine and Motonari went several meters away, where they started inspecting the ground to see if they managed to discover a hole, home for some Rock Pokemon. Motochika and Dewott were nowhere in sight as well.

Rinne let out a heavy sigh. Everything she planned was not going the way she wanted. She fell right into their trap and babbled more than necessary, making herself look like a complete moron. Moreover, Yukimura seemed to have finally understood the reason for Illusio's attack, and she felt pretty retarded about it. Why did she have to be such a dolt? She went through so much to avoid this situation, and now she had to face Yukimura. She couldn't bear to look at him, after all the trouble she had gone through. He should be incredibly angry, and she wouldn't blame him for it.

"Lady Rinne…" Yukimura said softly.

"I'M SO SORRY!" she yelled while bowing violently in front of Yukimura, startling the man with her sudden outburst. Eevee followed and bowed towards Tepig crying loudly. "I'm a moron! And I should die for it!"

"Lady Rinne, you don't have to bow. You had your reasons for invading Illusio." He wasn't sure what he was trying to say, or why he was saying that, actually.

"I HAVE TO!" she replied. "Why do you say I had my reasons when I actually got the wrong way!?" She stopped bowing and clenched her fists, avoiding his eyes by staring at the ground. "I had told everyone that we would fight Terrera, to see if we were strong enough to go on. I had heard the stories about Shingen and you and your strong army and your battle towers and everything, so I really, really, really wanted to battle you," she said passionately to the point of nearly crying.

"I'm so dumb, so I knew I'd get lost on my own. I didn't want it to happen when we were marching towards Terrera, so I asked Muneshige to help me get there, but Muneshige was more interested in following the wind or something, so we ended up in Illusio."

What?

"Then, I realized we were in the wrong place, so I was going to say that we were going to retreat, but Kenshin noticed us. He was all 'You're too weak' and I felt saved because we were told to go back to our kingdom. I thought we could then go to the right place. But then Aya attacked us, and she basically invited us to battle Kenshin again in Illusio and I couldn't tell her 'Oh, actually, I kinda screwed up and attacked the wrong kingdom.'" She smacked herself twice with her hand, as she spoke.

"So I thought that we could fight against you guys after going for Illusio, but then Shingen popped out of nowhere and he was like 'Wahaha, I'll join you' and I wanted to die because that wasn't the plan. I wanted to fight you fair and square! And when I told him about it later, he just laughed pretty hard and he spent like 5 minutes mocking me, and laughing. He said that I was hilarious, and that he found it really entertaining. He was pretty cool with it. But it's not cool!"

She moved her hands toward her eyes, trying to wipe the tears that started welling in her eyes. Yukimura silently watched her, not moving at all nor making any expression, trying to process everything she was spouting.

"Because even if it's cool with him, I could tell from what he said about your reaction that I injured your Warrior pride by making such a ridiculous mistake. And it's so retarded I didn't even know what to do. So I decided to battle you, and apologize and explain you everything and beg for your forgiveness, but Eevee and I got lost and it took me four months to even find you. Then, when I did, Motochika and Motonari appeared and I didn't want them to know about this because it's so embarrassing and so stupid. And now they seem to be trolling me and I fell in their trap and now we're lost again!" she hid her face under her hands as she screamed. "I understand if you hate me and if you don't want to be in our Army and I won't force you to-"

"Lady Rinne, please just answer one more thing. Do you truly wish for my help in your army?" he used the same polite, but serious tone that made Rinne cringe and feel even worse.

She looked at the ground and held her hands together, gripping one so strongly her fingers started turning white. She stammered before replying, "Ever since I heard about you and your deeds, I thought you would be an invaluable person to join our army. I definitively need someone like you. I didn't want to belittle you or Terrera's army…"

Yukimura took some moments before speaking. "I will not say that I am not upset at the incident with Illusio and Terrera, but I can see that you are sorry about it and it wasn't your intention. Furthermore, I have already given you my word, so I will fight alongside you-"

Rinne flung her arms around Yukimura's torso and hugged him tightly, hiding her face in his armor. "Wah! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so sorry, please forgive me," she cried, while tears continued flowing from her eyes. Yukimura froze and looked down, confused and visibly shaken up. He wasn't expecting this. What should he do? He certainly couldn't push away the Warlord he had just decided to follow. Well, he could, but right now, she seemed more like a young heartbroken girl than an important Warlord. Said Warlord didn't seem to care about her status or how pitiful she appeared, though.

"And that's the Princess for you. Makes one hell of an impression, doesn't she?" Motochika said. "Heartwarming scene, by the way, but we gave you some privacy. That means you don't shout everything that is supposed to be private."

Just as she heard Motochika's approaching voice, Rinne jumped and distanced herself from Yukimura, who seemed incredibly bothered by the entire ordeal. However, she didn't notice that Eevee was behind her. As she tried to go back, she hit Eevee with her leg. Eevee cried out and Rinne hastily tried to change her direction, but her foot slipped off the ground causing her to fall on top of Eevee. Motochika and Yukimura stared at them, Motochika apparently enjoying himself and Yukimura… Well, she certainly made an interesting impression on him.

"My, my, that's dangerous, Princess," Motonari walked towards them, as he looked curiously at Rinne sprawled on the ground, trying to hide her face and wipe her tears without being noticed. Apparently he had seen it all too, but he was prudent enough to hide his amusement.

Today was a wonderful day to leave a magnificent impression towards her new companion and everyone in the world, it seemed. Yukimura, considerate and polite enough not to make any snarky comment at her, walked closer and lend her his hand, helping her up _again_. "Are you alright, Lady Rinne?"

Rinne's face grew redder with every second that passed, but the color got particularly more intense when she accepted his hand and got up.

"Something's bothering me. Why didn't you ask for Oichi's help? She knows her way on Ransei," Motochika asked. Yukimura looked at the man, and he could swear he saw a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I-I didn't want to depend on anyone," she replied, suspiciously fast and defensive to a normal and reasonable question. Before every big fight, Oichi would provide useful advice to the new Warlord. Why would she decide not to ask for it this time?

"Oh? I guess Muneshige doesn't count, then," said Motochika, as he arched an eyebrow, enjoying the show.

Motonari chuckled, as he looked at Rinne. "Wouldn't it be because Lady Oichi is sharp about women issues? Maybe she'd notice that a certain someone seemed too keenly interested in meeting a particular warrior and-"

"Yukimura, how about you just show us the way back, right?" Rinne got behind his back and forcefully pushed Yukimura towards the path they had previously walked. "You know how to get us to Terrera? Let's go!"

"There is no need to be so hasty, Lady Rinne," he said as he was dragged by her. Her Eevee was pushing a confused Tepig as well. "What about Lord Motona-"

"He can stay and see the rocks. Let's go before he says more weird things," she shouted, as they got away from the other Warlords, her face colored a lovely shade of red.

Motonari sighed and scratched his neck. "She's too easy to read."

"It was… excellent." Motochika said as both Warlords watched Yukimura and Tepig guiding the directionally-challenged Warlord and her Eevee towards Terrera.


End file.
